asked the Minister of Works (1) why it is now necessary to erect additional buildings for the Agricultural Executive Committee for Lincolnshire, Parts of Holland;

(2) when the buildings occupied by the Agricultural Executive Committee for Lincolnshire, Parts of Holland, were erected; and what proposals he has for their future use.

The staff of the Holland (Lincolnshire) Agricultural Executive Committee are housed at present in two permanent buildings held on lease, one in Kirton and one in Boston, and in temporary hutting erected at Kirton in 1942. The Boston office is seriously overcrowded, and accommodation at Kirton is required by the National Agricultural Advisory Service. A new building is, therefore, being erected to house the Executive Committee's staff, on the site of the temporary hutting which will be dismantled. The accommodation left vacant at Boston will be occupied by other staff now in requisitioned premises.

asked the Minister of Works why his Department has made no use of requisitioned land at Manor Farm, Sealand, which in January, 1950, was officially stated to be most urgently needed for building a hostel, but which has since remained untouched, either for building or food production.

The land in question is held on requisition by the Air Ministry but was loaned to my Department for a proposed hostel for workmen at the Atomic Energy Establishment at Capenhurst. The number of workmen recruited locally has exceeded anticipations and the proposed accommodation will not now be required. Immediate steps will, therefore, be taken to free this field for other purposes.

While I am very glad to have the information in the last part of the reply, may I ask whether my right hon. Friend is not aware that it is extremely irritating to farmers, in a district where a very great deal of land has recently been taken by public bodies, to have land requisitioned and left unused for two seasons?

Yes, but it would have been equally irritating for a very large number of people if we had not had space available locally had we needed it for a hostel for men on this very important site.

asked the Minister of Works whether he has any further statement to make about the Sunday opening of the Tower of London.

asked the Minister of Works what decision has been reached in respect to the proposal to open the Tower of London to visitors on Sundays.

asked the Minister of Works what progress has been made with arranging for the opening of the Tower of London on Sundays.

asked the Minister of Works what decision has now been reached regarding the proposed Sunday opening of the Tower of London.

I am glad to say that I have now arranged for the Tower of London to be open to the public every Sunday afternoon from 22nd July to 30th September, inclusive, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Admission will cease at 5 p.m. The normal admission fees will be charged.

Will my right hon. Friend do his best to ensure that the widest possible publicity is given to this new facility; and will he also give a pat on the back to the Beefeaters, or whatever one does in the circumstances, who do a good job of work?

How many are now employed in telling people that they cannot go into the Tower on Sunday; and could my right hon. Friend make arrangements to open the restaurant on Sunday from noon onwards, as there is nowhere available in the neighbourhood where people can get anything to eat?

Those now employed on telling people that they cannot get into the Tower on Sunday will in future be engaged on showing people round. I am arranging for the restaurant to be open. I cannot give the exact hours for that, as it is tied up with contracts and similar considerations. It will certainly be open for not less than the period for which the Tower itself is open.

Is it a fact that the warders who are in charge of the Tower at first objected to Sunday opening; that they have now been required to sign a document undertaking to work on Sundays, which has been presented to them in the form of an ultimatum; and that they have finally been induced to sign the document, but under a strong sense of protest?

That is wholly untrue. There has been no ultimatum. Indeed, the Yeoman Warders were told, on my personal authority, that if they chose not to work on Sundays it would be quite all right and that I would make other arrangements to open the Tower.

In the event of there being a successful experimental period, would my right hon. Friend continue this after 30th September?

Yes, Sir. I think it ought to end about the end of October in any case, but during September we will certainly review the date on which this ought to come to an end.

Does the right hon. Gentleman think that this desire on the part of the public to visit the Tower is in order to satisfy the craving to see a "beef-eater"?

asked the Minister of Works how many houses are still requisitioned and occupied by Government Departments in Bristol; and how many of these will be released when the building of Gaunt House is completed.

Nine houses in Bristol are at present requisitioned and occupied by Government Departments. Two of these houses and four other requisitioned premises will be released on completion of The Gaunt's House.

Is the Minister aware that some of these places have been requisitioned now for nearly 12 years, that the businesses of the people who own them have suffered considerably, and will he do all he possibly can as quickly as he can to return the premises to the people who own them?

Most certainly, but my hon. Friend must bear in mind that the other week I did not seem to be very popular when I said, in reply to a similar Question, that this building had been commenced for that purpose. We must remember that many of these premises are very large houses, for which, probably, there is no very large alternative demand.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has completed his inquiries into the recent unofficial dock strike at Manchester; and if he will make a statement.

No, Sir. A good deal of information upon this matter has been collected, but its examination has not yet been completed.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has yet completed his consultations with representatives of employers and employed on the subject of the withdrawal of Statutory Instrument, 1940, No. 1305.

No, Sir. The matter is still being discussed with the National Joint Advisory Council.

Can the hon. Gentleman really give no indication as to when this matter will be brought to a conclusion? Is he aware that for weeks past now this Order has, in fact, been unenforceable but nominally in force, which is a wholly unsatisfactory position?

Of course, we are aware of the position, and I would not disagree with the hon. Gentleman's analysis, but he will also agree that it is important that we should get the full co-operation of both sides of industry. I assure him that we shall get on with it at the earliest possible moment consistent with reaching that agreement.

Does the hon. Gentleman realise that statements are now being made, not only by his right hon. Friend but also by colleagues of mine on the Opposition Front Bench, as well as by people in industry, to the effect that this Order has outlived its usefulness? In the circumstances, could he not hurry up these discussions so that we can get something which is acceptable?

I think it is fairly obvious that, as we are anxious to do something, we are agreed that there is a necessity for a change; but I must reply in the same terms as I used in reply to the hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter), that we must make sure when we amend the Order that it will be something which will stand the test of time and be acceptable to both sides of industry.

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that, while it is obviously important that we should get the agreement of both sides of industry, it is also important to get the agreement of Parliament, and will he take some opportunity of bringing Parliament into the area of these discussions before the actual Order is made and promulgated?

It is our intention to make a statement in the House on this issue. I cannot say about a debate, because that is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House. We will, of course, make a statement in the House on this issue as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons employed in the Merseyside Development Area; and the percentage of the insured population at the nearest convenient date.

The precise figure of persons employed is not yet available, but at 18th June there were 14,278 registered unemployed which represents 2.4 per cent. of the insured population in the area.

Can my hon. Friend give some indication of the percentage of employed, because the figure that I have been given is somewhere in the region of 96 per cent. of the insured population? If that is the position, is he aware that it is the best record of employment in the Merseyside area at any time and shows great credit to the Government for having scheduled the area as a development area?

My hon. Friend is quite right, of course. The figure of persons employed in the area is something in the region of 570,000, and to have reduced unemployment to the level of 2.4 per cent. is a record never before heard of on Merseyside.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that a week ago the Chairman of the North-Western Industrial Estates, who happens to be the agent of His Majesty's Government, made a public statement in which he said that the reduction of unemployment in the Merseyside Development area was due almost entirely to the forceful and forthright policy of the Liverpool Corporation?

I do not wish in any way to detract from the performance of people in the locality, but when we see that unemployment in the country as a whole is down to 0.9 per cent., then other areas must have shared in that reduction.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the same gentleman who made that statement recently was the leader of the authority which consistently refused to allow Merseyside to be scheduled as a development area?

This is becoming a battle of Merseyside. Let us pass on.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to assist the Railway Executive to fill the vacancies in its staff caused by the present increasing shortage of skilled and semi- skilled labour in the Midlands area notably around Birmingham.

In full co-operation with the Railway Executive special attention is being given to areas, such as Birmingham, which are most urgently in need of additional workers. The Ministry's local offices have been instructed to give preference to all railway operational vacancies.

While applauding the arrangement temporarily made by railway men for longer working hours, does the Minister realise that the most virulent need in the Midlands is for locomotive men, and that the appropriate trade unions will not agree to longer working hours until something is done to exempt these men from military call-up? Obviously they would not be called up in time of war. What is he doing about it?

I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman is advocating that we should exempt certain types of labour, because, if that is the case, we should have to spread the net very wide indeed.

Does my hon. Friend wish to convey the impression that this matter of deferring railway men is finally and absolutely settled? Would not he agree that if we were to have complete chaos in the industry because the men are not available it would be a very bad thing for the country and for defence?

I appreciate the urgency of the matter so far as the railways are concerned, but I really cannot agree with the statement of the hon. Gentleman.

Can the Minister say what steps have been taken to assist and encourage old age pensioners in railway communities who wish to go back to work to do so?

We have already made our position quite clear on that issue.

Would my hon. Friend again consider this question concerning locomotive men of which there is a dire shortage? Recruitment is not being effected to these grades because of the peculiar domestic nature of the work and the low wages paid. Will he consider the question whether or not these loco- motive men are suitable for exemption from the Services?

Is the Minister aware that I particularly specified the call-up of locomotive men, and, in view of the fact that these men would not be called up in a national emergency, cannot he take another look at the position?

I think the hon. Gentleman should appreciate that as time goes on changes must take place in the type of people who go on the reserve. If we were to specify a single industry we would throw the whole thing into chaos.

asked the Minister of Labour what arrangements have been made to employ those employees who will be without holiday pay or wages during Ford's shutdown at Dagenham this year.

The employment exchanges will do what they can to help those who apply to find temporary alternative employment.

Can my hon. Friend go into this matter with the trade unions in order to get a solution of this very unpleasant grievance locally?

I do not know that we can intervene unless we are asked to assist in the matter.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent Italians are continuing to be recruited for work in the coalmining industry.

Recruiting is going on continuously. One hundred and forty-four Italians have arrived in this country in weekly parties of about 30. The National Coal Board are now arranging to increase the weekly rate of intake to 60.

Does the Minister's answer imply that he and the National Coal Board are satisfied with this rate of recruitment, and will he assure the House that he will not be influenced or in any way intimidated by those in the coal mines, even if they are in a small minority, who do not want to increase the production of coal?

I do not think the second point arises. On the first, there is the necessity to ensure that the numbers coming in can be catered for at the coalface and can be trained, and that sort of thing, and we are doing that.

Is the Minister satisfied with the arrangements made, that they are working smoothly, and that the men coming in are of satisfactory physique?

Yes, Sir.

When these Italian miners see the conditions in the mines of Scotland, will they not want to return home?

asked the Minister of Labour the number of His Majesty's Inspectors of Factories, including temporary inspectors, employed on 1st June. 1948, and on 1st June, 1951.

The numbers in post on these dates were 336 and 327, respectively.

In view of the fact which emerges from that answer that there are now fewer factory inspectors engaged on this work than there were in 1948, is there not an urgent case for reconsidering the terms, and conditions of service offered to this important body of men and women?

I do not know whether the hon. Member is suggesting that we should reduce the standard, because that is the obvious inference of his question. The fact is that at the present time a campaign for the recruitment of inspectors is in progress.

Is not my hon. Friend aware that even if the numbers were doubled or trebled there would still not be too many of them?

Can the Minister explain how one reduces the standard by improving the terms of service so as to attract more candidates?

I do not accept that that is the sole criterion. There is a great demand for this type of person throughout the whole range of industry, and if we were to try to increase the numbers instead of the quality of those engaged, then I think the answer would be as I have stated.

Does not my hon. Friend think it would be better if he relied on people with some actual industrial experience rather than on certain academic qualifications for which he is asking at the present time? Has he any idea of the percentage of factory inspectors who have no active industrial experience comparable to his own?

I will reply to that on the next Question.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of the persons appointed as His Majesty's Inspectors of Factories as a result of the competitions held in 1950 hold university degrees or similar qualifications in science or engineering; how many have had practical experience since leaving the university and completing military service; and how many have had experience in industry.

Of the 24 persons appointed to date from these competitions, 18 hold university degrees or similar qualifications in science or engineering; 10 have had practical experience since leaving the university, and 15 have had industrial experience.

Do the figures which the hon. Gentleman has given reveal an improvement or a decline in the technical and other appropriate equipment of the applicants?

I could not answer that question without notice.

Can the Minister say how many of those appointed are men and how many are women, and whether his Department is contemplating introducing equal pay in that service?

In regard to the first part of the hon. Lady's supplementary, if she will put down a Question I will try to give her an answer.

May I have an answer to the second part?

asked the Minister of Labour if he will do all that he can to secure an adequate labour force, especially with reference to bricklayers, for the housing contractor to the Rugeley, Staffordshire Urban District Council.

The first step is for the contractor to notify his requirements to the local office, when every assistance will be given to meet his needs. I should point out, however, that there is an acute shortage of bricklayers.

If the attention of the contractor is drawn to my hon. Friend's statement, will he give an undertaking that he will give every encouragement to this particular contractor, because the housing progress in Rugeley is very bad? Further, if agreement is reached within the industry as between the master builders and the trade unions concerned regarding the training of more bricklayers, would my hon. Friend's Department have the necessary facilities for carrying out such training?

The answer to the first part of my hon. Friend's supplementary is "Yes," and the answer to the second part is "Yes" again. We have the facilities, and we shall be very glad indeed to assist in the training of bricklayers.

asked the Minister of Labour how many trade unions there are and how many of these are registered.

According to the latest information which I have received, the total number of trade unions with head offices in the United Kingdom is 700. Of these, 335 are known to be registered under the Trade Union Acts.

May I ask the hon. Gentleman how his Department decides which of these registered trade unions it will recognise and which it will not? I do not wish to enumerate them, but, for instance, the Postal Workers' Union?

That is not a matter on which I can give an answer on this Question.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the absence of a statutory upper age limit upon Class Z Reserve liability for recall; the consequentially damaging effect upon the recruitment of men over the age of 40 years as Civil Defence volunteers who may also be Class Z reservists; and whether he will absolve from Class Z Reserve liability all men of 40 years of age and over who enlist in the Civil Defence Corps.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes." As regards the second and third, any Class Z reservist over the age of 40 is free to join Civil Defence and I am not aware that the fact that a small proportion of them might be recalled to the Army in an emergency is having any appreciable effect on recruitment. In any case, I could not suggest to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War that, in an emergency, he should refrain from recalling Z reservists over 40 required for full-time service with the Army because they had undertaken to give part-time service in Civil Defence.

Will the hon. Gentleman realise that there are now 600,000 Class Z reservists over the age of 40, very few of whom have specialist qualifications, and that the uncertainty as to their duties in the event of war, if they joined Civil Defence, is definitely having a damaging effect on Civil Defence recruitment? Will he clarify the position?

I would point out that the recruitment of volunteers for Civil Defence is undertaken for part-time training in peace and part-time service in war.

Could not the Minister impose some upper age limit, because these men are getting older? Does he not realise that if he were to do that he would at least free a small number of these men; but at the moment not even an age limit of 60 has been imposed? Could he not do something about it?

I think it would lead to great confusion for the reasons I gave in my answer.

asked the Minister of Labour why medical boards which examine National Service recruits are not told the grounds upon which the recruits may be subsequently rejected by military medical boards.

This is already the general practice in the case of the R.A.F., where most of such cases occur, and I will consider extending the practice to the other two Services.

Is the Minister aware that it is also the practice in the Army? Surely, it would be an advantage if the Ministry of Labour medical boards knew what physical standards were required by the Army, so that one board might do the work which now requires to be done by two? Why the duplication?

My information is that that is the general practice in the R.A.F. I have pointed out that we are trying to extend it to the other two Services.

Has my hon. Friend any statistics to show how many people were passed fit to serve and were subsequently found to be unfit for service?

Not without notice.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there are cases, about one of which he has received some correspondence, in which there h a very long time-lag between the first acceptance by the National Service authorities and the final rejection by one of the Service Departments and that during that period great hardship results for the individual? Will the Minister look into this aspect of the matter?

I do not think the hon. Gentleman would want us to have a further examination either to accept or reject. There are many instances in which, in fairness to the person concerned, he must have a better check than in the case of the ordinary recruit.

asked the Minister of Labour how many times the reconstituted Cost of Living Advisory Committee has met; and whether it has yet made any recommendations to him.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will take steps to prepare a cost of living index based on the expenditure necessarily and normally incurred, excluding rent, by those whose income approximately corresponds to that of those drawing National Assistance.

The Cost of Living Advisory Committee is at present considering the question of a new survey of family expenditure and has made an interim report to my right hon. Friend, which is now being considered by His Majesty's Government.

Can the Minister give any indication when, that report will be published and available to the House?

I could not say offhand, but the hon. Member will appreciate that we have to examine the thing. There is no desire to withhold any of the information from the House.

Since this interim cost of living index has been under consideration since 1947, does not the hon. Gentleman think it time that a report was made to this House?

I think the hon. Gentleman is aware of the difficulties and that the Committee are trying to ascertain whether the time is now ripe to have a permanent index. It is because of these complications that there has been a time lag. As I say, we have no desire to withhold any information from the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in which local health authority areas in Scotland it is proposed to start trials for the use of the new trilene machine by domiciliary midwives.

The areas in which these trials are to be undertaken have not yet been determined; they will be selected by a joint sub-committee representing the Medical Research Council and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, under whose control the trials are to be carried out.

Would the hon. Lady do two things? Would she notify me when these trials are about to start and also give an assurance that in this case trials will be conducted in Scotland as well as in England?

I can give the assurance, in reply to the second part of the hon. Gentleman's question, that trials will be conducted in selected areas throughout the whole of great Britain.

Does not my hon. Friend think it rather unfair to conduct the trials on expectant mothers? Does not she think we might experiment first on the expectant fathers, asking for volunteers from Members opposite?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether approval can now be given for the addition of the chassar moir attachment to all gas and air machines in use by domiciliary midwives in Scotland.

The Scottish Central Midwives Board have not yet approved this attachment for use by midwives on their own responsibility; they will consider the matter as soon as the results of a further experiment in its use are available.

Is the hon. Lady aware that in this case an experiment is going on in Hertfordshire? Will she consider conducting an experiment in Scotland, preferably in Coatbridge?

It is true that an experiment is going on in Hertfordshire, but the result of that experiment has shown that the time is not yet ripe for midwives to use this attachment. A further experiment is being carried out, and we have no intention of taking it elsewhere until we are sure that midwives can use this attachment properly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland on what grounds the responsibility payments to second teachers in primary schools have been fixed at lower than pre-war levels; and why it is proposed that the variation in accordance with responsibility borne is to be limited to £22 10s. per annum.

Before the war teachers' salaries were regulated by minimum national scales which education authorities could exceed. Since 1945 there have been standard national scales to which the authorities must adhere. For second masters in the largest primary schools the pre-war minimum responsibility payment was £20 and the present standard payment is £77 10s. The responsibility payments for second masters now range from £10 in the smallest primary schools to £77 10s. in the largest.

Is the hon. Lady not aware that in Glasgow, at any rate, the responsibility payments were as much as £110 and there was a difference of £40 between the minimum and the maximum, whereas now there is a difference of only £20 10s.?

I am well aware of those cases in Glasgow, but the new scales were established after consultation on the National Joint Council, and on that Council the teachers and employing bodies are equally represented. Another point which we must consider is that if one local authority or education authority is allowed to give a very much higher inducement it may mean that some of our rural schools may be denied teachers.

Could my hon. Friend tell me what were the responsibility payments to a second master in Dumfriesshire?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many per sons are waiting admission to hospital in the city of Glasgow as in-patients for all forms of illness at the present time; and what is the approximate average period of waiting.

I am sorry that the information desired is not readily available. If my hon. Friend will indicate what types of hospital he is interested in I shall endeavour to obtain the information for him.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his short-term and long-term policies to overcome the present shortage of women teachers in Scotland.

Owing largely to the number of married women teachers in the schools, the staffs are at present sufficient to enable the work of the schools to be carried on. Recruitment to the profession exceeds wastage, but I have under discussion plans to stimulate recruitment, to widen the field from which recruits are drawn and to encourage older teachers to postpone their retirement. I also expect that the recent substantial increases in salaries will attract recruits.

Is the hon. Lady not aware that we have spent two somewhat fruitless days in the Scottish Grand Committee trying to extract this information from her? Could she not be more specific with regard to the definite answer to my Question on short-term and long-term policies as, with all due respect, I submit the answer given is not full enough or complete enough to satisfy the people of Scotland?

I submit to the hon. and gallant Member that if he had spent the two full days on the Scottish Grand Committee when we were discussing education this Question would scarcely need to have been asked. Full information was given on the first part by the Solicitor-General for Scotland and on the latter part by myself.

Absentee.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons have been prosecuted under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act, 1951; and what sentences have been imposed.

Seven persons have been prosecuted. One person was fined £3 with the alternative of 20 days' imprisonment and one person £5, a salmon being forfeited in each case. In a third case, which involved three persons, fines of £25 were imposed on each with the alternative of three months' imprisonment. In the remaining case, two persons have pled not guilty and are being tried on 26th July.

Could my hon. Friend tell us whether, in the case of the £25 fines, the sheriff announced that in future no fines were to be imposed but only imprisonment? Is it the case that salmon poaching is now to be regarded as a worse crime than wife beating or manslaughter?

I have only the information I have read in the Press, and the information is as my hon. Friend has given it.

Could my hon. Friend say whether there were any peculiar circumstances in the case where the £25 fines were imposed?

The offences that were covered were three—first, poaching, secondly, using an illegal method of fishing, and thirdly, fishing by two or more persons acting together. The maximum penalty was £50.

Is my hon. Friend aware that many of us are concerned about this newspaper report of the case where the sheriff, I think at Fort William, indicated that he would have no more fines and that all other offenders coming before him would go to prison? Would she cause some inquiry to be made and see whether that is correct and, if so, see that the sheriff is put in his place?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent local interference with house building in the interests of defence work will apply to Scotland; and what districts are likely to be affected.

I am afraid that it is too early yet to make any prediction on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has considered the report of the Scottish Housing Advisory Committee; and what steps he has taken to secure acceptance of its conclusions by local authorities that there should be a uniform residence qualification for applicants for houses, and that an exchange system should be operated by every local authority both within its own area and with other areas.

My right hon. Friend has considered the report and sent a copy to each local authority in Scotland in May, 1950. He asked that it should be given the close study which it deserves by all councillors and officials concerned. The letting of houses is, of course, a matter for the local authorities themselves and my right hon. Friend could not impose any particular system upon them.

Did the hon. Gentleman's right hon. Friend stress or endorse any of these recommendations?

He commended the recommendations, but the hon. Member will be aware that the Committee themselves in that report stressed the fact that any system should not be made obligatory on the local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the average number of weeks required for the completion of a local authority traditional house; and what steps are being taken to reduce the time taken.

Traditional houses completed by local authorities during May, 1951, took on average 71 weeks to build as compared with 75 weeks for similar houses completed in October, 1950. The rate of completion depends primarily on the availability of labour and materials and, subject only to the prior demands of the defence programme, everything possible is being done to maintain and, where necessary, increase supplies for housing purposes.

Considering the very slow rate at which the time taken to construct these houses is being reduced, is it not time that the Government took some special steps to deal with the matter?

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that before the war private enterprise firms were building these houses in eight weeks?

That, of course, is quite wrong. We are often being pressed to give rather generous allocations of houses to local authorities and we are constantly resisting that pressure because we want to keep to the minimum the length of time taken to construct them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider ways and means of securing additional manual labour for the potato harvest in Scotland and thereby reduce the number of school children employed in this work.

As in previous years, all steps possible will be taken to secure supplementary labour before calling upon the services of schoolchildren. Farmers will, as usual, also recruit additional labour locally.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the Minister of Agriculture in seeking harvesters for potato picking in England will not take them under 17 years of age? With that in mind, and in the knowledge that his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War gave useful help to Scottish farmers with other forms of labour, will he try to induce those workers to help in the harvest again so as to avoid having children doing the job?

The Secretary of State for War has assisted each year, and I have no doubt that he will assist again this year, but his contribution must be a small one in relation to the size of the problem. Scottish farmers require 90,000 additional workers during the potato harvesting period, and my hon. Friend will appreciate that there is not that amount of adult male or female labour in Scotland.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this excellent and health giving work for children is welcomed by many parents in Scotland as being an opportunity for children to get fit and well away from the cities?

Is my hon. Friend aware of the very serious allegations which the Educational Institute of Scotland have made about the way in which these children were housed? Did his Department make any inquiry into those charges?

I can only say that the Educational Institute of Scotland could have assisted us a little more than they did last year by co-operating in seeing that the children were well supervised. All of us concerned in this business have gone out and seen the children in the fields and camps each year, and I can assure the House that by and large the children are well looked after.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to recruit the additional dentists needed in Scotland.

I hope the improvements recently negotiated in the salary scales of school dentists will enable the local authorities to recruit more dentists for the school and other priority services. As regards the strength of the profession as a whole the intake of students to Scottish dental schools will shortly be increased on the completion of structural alterations now proceeding at Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School.

Am I right in taking it from my hon. Friend's answer that the reason why there has not been an appreciable increase in the number has been entirely the physical one of lack of accommodation?

That is indeed so. We have been teaching to capacity.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons in the last year have been admitted to mental hospitals under the Lunacy (Scotland) Acts, 1857 and 1862; how many of these are suffering only from old age; and how these figures compare with the average for the last 20 years.

The number of persons certified as insane and admitted to mental hospitals under the Lunacy (Scotland) Acts, 1857 and 1862, during the year 1950 was 2,652. Of that number 906 were over 60 years of age. None of those over 60 years of age was suffering only from old age; all were certified as suffering from insanity. The number of persons over 60 years of age who were admitted to mental hospitals during the last 20 years as certified patients is not available.

Would my hon. Friend consider publishing a list of the hospitals which are affected and of the areas which are affected by this practice, or would she consider publishing a statement on the subject, because some very serious accusations and implications are involved in my right hon. Friend's Question?

I do not follow to what practice the hon. and learned Gentleman refers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the distress and bewilderment caused to relatives of old people who have to be declared lunatics before they can be given beds in hospitals; and if he will consider introducing legislation to make old age a special class of incapax and to provide the necessary accommodation in special hospitals for this purpose.

While I agree that there is frequent difficulty in arranging institutional care for old people who cannot be suitably looked after at home, I see no ground for thinking that this could be remedied by fresh legislation. The difficulty arises from shortage of hospital accommodation on the one hand, and of residential accommodation under the National Assistance Act on the other. These shortages are being remedied as quickly as the resources of the building industry and the present financial situation permit, regard being had to other vital needs such as that of providing adequately for the treatment of respiratory tuberculosis.

Arising out of that Question, would the hon. Lady explain to me, as one Scots Member to another, what is "a special class of incapax"?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the names of the local authorities in Scotland who are providing homes for the aged and infirm under the National Assistance Act; the names of the local authorities who so far have not complied with the said Act; and what action he intends to take to compel defaulting authorities to provide the necessary care and attention to their aged and infirm citizens.

I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement indicating the position in each local authority area. This shows that three authorities, who find accommodation on a "customer" basis, have no accommodation of their own but that two of them have acquired property for conversion. The remaining authorities have accommodation provided before or since the Act was passed or both. My right hon. Friend has so far not thought it necessary to declare any local authority in default.

Apart from the detailed report which will be submitted officially, can my hon. Friend indicate what inspections are to be made of the standard of accommodation being provided for these old people, where it is provided?

The officials from our own Department go to these homes. I have myself visited a fair number of them. The last time this Question was put and the hon. Member suggested that conditions in some places were not as

they might be, I asked him to give me any information he had, and so far I have not received it.

It might be to the hon. Lady's advantage if she would look at the files of the Scottish Office. I gave a report on one town, which I will not mention here, and as far as I am advised the conditions are still the same, although it has been visited by members of her Department.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in how many cases were directions served in 1950 limiting the area of pasture on any agricultural unit; how many farmers were involved; and what was the total acreage thus added to the tillage area.

Eight directions were served in 1950. The directions involved six farmers and a reduction of 183 acres in the area under grass. The authorising Order came into operation on 16th December, 1949, and the agricultural executive committees were unable to make full use of the power in 1950 because farmers' plans for the cropping season had largely been made by then.

In view of the large size of the problem concerned and the smallness of the figures which my hon. Friend has given, does he contemplate extending this very serious policy of direction considerably in the future, or does he contemplate carrying it on in an experimental way?